Yellowknives Dene First Nation and City of Yellowknife Joint Economic Development Strategy 2020 ©MDB Insight – Yellowknives Dene First Nation and City of Yellowknife Joint Economic Development Strategy Page i Contents 1. The Strategy at a Glance ............................................................................................... 2 2. Introduction ................................................................................................................. 4 3. Summary of Major Themes from Engagement ............................................................. 10 4. Economic Base Analysis Key Highlights ........................................................................ 18 5. SOARR Assessment ..................................................................................................... 20 6. Prioritizing Economic Development Initiatives ............................................................ 29 7. Critical Path ................................................................................................................ 34 ©MDB Insight – Yellowknives Dene First Nation and City of Yellowknife Joint Economic Development Strategy Page ii ©MDB Insight – Yellowknives Dene First Nation and City of Yellowknife Joint Economic Development Strategy Page 1 1. The Strategy at a Glance Developing an inclusive economic development strategy that balances the priorities of reconciliation, sustainability and prosperity was a complex, yet exciting, undertaking. The world is currently in a state of unprecedented change, amidst the current COVID-19 pandemic when the Northwest Territories (NWT) was already facing added economic pressures like the slowdown within the mineral and mining sector. However, there is still ample opportunity for continued prosperity and growth for Yellowknives Dene First Nation and the City of Yellowknife. This strategy aims to make the most of economic development efforts and ensure City and First Nation priorities are aligned, and benefits are felt by all members of the community. But more importantly, it seeks to celebrate the intangible benefits of partnership, of creating a foundation of friendship, trust and respect that will last long into the future. Figure 1 shows the three strategic directions and prioritized assessment criteria. For more detailed actions refer to Section 6. Figure 1: Summary of Opportunity Areas Local Business and Workforce Development Entrepreneurship Support - Reduce skills gaps by supporting Tourism - Create a thriving ecosystem where the transition of Aurora College to a polytechnic university. - Work collaboratively to assist residents are supported in creating the COVID-hampered tourism new businesses. - Reassess how certification economy to recover and plan - Provide tailored assistance to new programs are promoted and run. for the future. entrepreneurs to help them navigate - Build work-integrated learning - Embrace opportunities to the bureaucratic and regulatory opportunities. celebrate First Nation culture. environment. - Engage regional stakeholders - Redefine the tourism - Establish a 'one stop shop' for all and promote effective strategies. experience by leveraging business needs and market - Increasing awareness of and technology. opportunities across the three participation in the Dechita communities in region. Naowo training division. Economic Impact Alignment with existing strategies Social/Cultural Impact ©MDB Insight – Yellowknives Dene First Nation and City of Yellowknife Joint Economic Development Strategy Page 2 ©MDB Insight – Yellowknives Dene First Nation and City of Yellowknife Joint Economic Development Strategy Page 3 2. Introduction Project Background In December 2019, the Yellowknives Dene First Nation and the City of Yellowknife signed a Memorandum of Understanding1 (MOU), which solidified the government-to-government relationship between the neighbouring communities. The memorandum acknowledges that Yellowknife is on Chief Drygeese Territory, the unceded lands of the Yellowknives Dene, the people who have been caretakers of this land since time immemorial. It outlines each government's commitment to reconciliation and a mutually beneficial relationship. The MOU identified shared infrastructure and economic development as a mutual interest. In the past, the two communities have collaborated on projects on an ad hoc basis, with no formal relationship or strategy in place. This Joint Economic Development Strategy is intended to guide shared economic development interests and provide a framework for the partnership to move forward. It is also designed to support the people and businesses of Yellowknife, Dettah and Ndilo in their efforts to enhance future economic growth and prosperity. Before this joint process, the Yellowknives Dene First Nation and the City each developed their own Economic Development Strategies. The City of Yellowknife Economic Development Strategy was approved in April 2020, and the Yellowknives Dene First Nation Economic Development Strategy is in its final stages of completion. These strategies were scanned for existing shared priorities and validated throughout stakeholder consultation for this project. The following diagram (Figure 2) shows the identified economic development priorities of each community. Shared priorities are identified in the middle will form the basis of this strategy's directions. 1 City of Yellowknife and Yellowknives Dene First Nation, Memorandum of Understanding, December 2019. ©MDB Insight – Yellowknives Dene First Nation and City of Yellowknife Joint Economic Development Strategy Page 4 Figure 2: Shared Economic Development Priorities Yellowknives Dene First Nation and City of Yellowknife have expressed that they want to enhance economic prosperity to the region by developing a Joint Economic Development Strategy. The following is an excerpt from their application to the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency, which funded the creation of this Strategy. Through jointly developing a 5-year strategy, we anticipate there will be many potential benefits such as a stronger, united voice for engaging with industry and other levels of government; an increased ability to attract development funding from other levels of government; economies of scale savings through the sharing of capacity, knowledge and/or service delivery, to name a few. Furthermore, through the identification of mutual needs along with current and future opportunities, we anticipate that there will be an increase in opportunities for local business development and employment through job creation. For these reasons, the City of Yellowknife and the Yellowknives Dene First Nation recognize and understand that in today’s competitive economy, we will be stronger together. ©MDB Insight – Yellowknives Dene First Nation and City of Yellowknife Joint Economic Development Strategy Page 5 Yellowknives Dene First Nation The two core communities that make up the Yellowknives Dene First Nation are Dettah and Ndilo. They are located near Yellowknife on Great Slave Lake. Ndilo was established in the 1950s on Latham Island, 3.5 km from the city centre. Dettah, a traditional village and historic fishing camp, is located east of Ndilo on Yellowknife Bay and is accessed via a 27 km all-weather road or a 6.5 km ice road on Great Slave Lake during the winter. The First Nation has a membership base of roughly 1,500 people. Yellowknives Dene First Nation has a relatively young population, with 21% of all Dettah and Ndilo residents aged 30-49.2 The Yellowknives Dene are one of the peoples of the T' satsaot' ine , known for the pots, knives and tools they crafted from copper. The economy in Dettah and Ndilo was a traditional hunter, gather and barter system until only a few generations ago. Today, Yellowknives Dene First Nation benefits from the economic activity generated by their proximity to natural resources in the North Slave Region. The Det’on Cho Management LP, Yellowknives Dene First Nation's business development arm, either owns or is engaged in partnerships with 15 companies that serve local resource industries, including Diavik and DeBeers' Snap Lake mines. While the development corporation is a highly successful with annual gross revenues of $50 million per year, the economy of Dettah and Ndilo lag behind Yellowknife. Evidence of this includes a lack of housing for members and a lack of retail presence. Through stakeholder consultation, Yellowknives Dene First Nation members expressed that there is a widespread misunderstanding of their identity, culture, language and history. Many in the Yellowknife region mistake Yellowknives Dene peoples as descendants of Tłı̨chǫ peoples and the confusion around the Yellowknives Dene's identity persists. Yellowknives Dene First Nation has consistently identified a desire for their language and culture to be more accurately reflected by city residents and visitors. The Yellowknives Dene First Nation's Vision and Mission Statement as written in its Draft 2020 Economic Development Plan is: Vision Statement The Yellowknives Dene are a self-governing First Nation with a sustainable economy demonstrating traditional values, investing in strategic initiatives that generate wealth for all generations. Mission Statement The Yellowknives Dene First Nation Council, Administration and Det’on Cho Management LP work in harmony towards generating the wealth and capacity of our First Nation to sustain the prosperity, employability and well-being of our members and institutions. 2 MDB Insight, sourced